Red Widow showed little life in its much-publicized two-hour premiere. The ABC drama bowed to a soft 6.8 million viewers and a 1.4 in the adults 18-to-49 demographic Sunday, down 36 percent from both GCB's and 666 Park Avenue's ...

By TV Guide

The Daily Register - Harrisburg, IL

By TV Guide

Posted Mar. 4, 2013 at 5:10 PM

By TV Guide

Posted Mar. 4, 2013 at 5:10 PM

Red Widow showed little life in its much-publicized two-hour premiere. The ABC drama bowed to a soft 6.8 million viewers and a 1.4 in the adults 18-to-49 demographic Sunday, down 36 percent from both GCB's and 666 Park Avenue's debuts in the slot last spring and in the fall, respectively. Red Widow ties Zero Hour as ABC's lowest-rated scripted series premiere ever. And we all know how that turned out. Red Widow's lead-in Once Upon a Time (7.2 million, 2.1) dropped to a series low. Which shows must die? NBC's two-hour premiere of All-Star Celebrity Apprentice (5.1 million, 1.6) had its lowest-rated premiere ever, falling 38 percent from last year. On CBS, The Amazing Race (9.1 million, 2.4) rebounded from last week's series low opposite the Oscars. The Good Wife (8.9 million, 1.6) and The Mentalist (9.1 million, 1.5) were both up from their last outings two weeks ago. Fox's animated block was all up, except for Bob's Burgers (3.6 million, 1.7), which slipped a tenth.

On cable, the History channel enjoyed a historical weekend. The new miniseries The Bible, from reality show megaproducer Mark Burnett, grabbed 13.1 million total viewers to become the top cable entertainment telecast of the year. Those impressive numbers helped boost the premiere of History's first scripted series, Vikings, to a cumulative 8.3 million viewers and 3.4 million in the demo over two airings. Vikings is now the No. 1 new cable series launch of the 2013. 8 p.m.CBS:The Amazing Race 9.1 million viewers (2.4 demo rating) ABC: Once Upon a Time 7.2 million (2.1) Fox:The Simpsons 4.7 million (2.3); The Cleveland Show3.3 million (1.5) NBC: Dateline 6.1 million (1.3) 9 p.m.CBS:The Good Wife 8.9 million (1.6) ABC:Red Widow6.8 million (1.4) [9-11 p.m.] Fox: Family Guy (R) 4.1 million (1.9); Bob's Burgers 3.6 million (1.7) NBC:All-Star Celebrity Apprentice5.1 million (1.6) [9-11 p.m.] 10 p.m.CBS:The Mentalist 9.1 million (1.5)